Travel Agent Port Shepstone

I have to say, Zanzibar has the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. If you are looking for a relaxing beach holiday with very beautiful pristine beaches, this is it!

After just a 3 and a half hour flight from Joburg we arrived at Zanzibar Airport to sweltering, humid heat and the sounds of locals playing music. After clearing customs, we waited for our suitcases to be delivered to us through a hole in the wall. Something I found quite fascinating was the foreign exchange bureaus throughout the arrivals hall, with veiled ladies hanging out the windows of their booths, waving money at us.

Once we walked out of the airport there were locals playing music and dancing for us. We were also greeted with coconuts, cut with straws inside for a refreshing drink before we started the journey to our first hotel.

First stop was Plan Hotel’s newest property “Dream of Zanzibar” which is still under construction but expected to be ready by July 2009. It will be a 5 star hotel with beautiful rooms and a lovely beach. There are going to be 5 different restaurants so there will be something to suit everyone.

We then went to Mapenzi Beach Club where we spent our first night. We were greeted with cocktails and fruit skewers before being shown to our rooms. The rooms are a good size and nicely decorated. There are double doors out onto a patio which were sea facing. The beach area is lovely with loungers all over and soft white sand. There is also a nice big swimming pool with a pool bar alongside it. The food was nice and there was entertainment in the evening. I found this to be a very good 3 Star hotel.

The following day, we travelled down to Stone Town with its winding alley ways and bustling bazaars. We had a brilliant guide who started the tour by taking us to the old market where there are four sections – meat, fish, fruit and vegetables and spices. This was an interesting experience.

We then continued into town and were guided all around Stone Town, starting with the Anglican Church which is built on the site where slaves were traded in days gone by. We went down into the chambers where the slaves were kept. They were tiny little rooms that had 50 men in one and 50 women with 25 children in the other. There is also a pit where there are statues replicating how the slaves were chained and then beaten. Those who were quietest were considered to be strong and therefore were sold to slavery.

Walking around the town was quite an experience as everything is old and in great need of maintenance and repair. The doors of many building are very beautiful and seem out of place. There were some lovely shops where one could buy souvenirs - kikoy’s, t-shirts, spices, slip slops, carvings and Bao (an East African game).

There are a few really nice hotels in Stone Town. Most have beautiful stained glass windows and beautiful doors. One we visited had a swimming pool in the middle and the hotel and its rooms built all around it. Another one had a deck overlooking the sea with the most beautiful view over the sea. We had lunch at another one that had a lovely beach and swimming pool. It was amazing to think that we were in the middle of Stone Town. I would suggest that visitors to Zanzibar spend at least one night in Stone Town as there is so much to see and experience. It is a truly cultural experience.

We visited the “House of Wonders” which was the first house in Stone Town to have running water, electricity and a lift. We walked to the top where we had a magnificent view of Stone Town from the veranda which went all around the building.

In the afternoon we went to the Spice Plantation. When we arrived, we were handed “handbags” which were woven with the leaves of plants. We were taken into the plantation and given samples of the spices and we put them in the handbags.

Later that afternoon we were taken to our next hotel, Neptune Puwani Hotel which is a 4 Star category. I really loved this hotel and was sorry we didn’t spend more time here. There are 2 huge and very inviting swimming pools with pool bars next to each. The restaurant was next to one of them. The beach is beautiful and so is the outlook. There were Masai Warriors on the beach nearby which made me really feel like I was in East Africa. The food was brilliant and so were the cocktails!

After breakfast the following morning, we went to Le Gemma Del Est, a 5 Star resort. All I can say is WOW! It has the most magnificent beach with the most crystal clear water I have ever seen and beautiful shells everywhere I looked. There are also beach traders nearby which I really enjoyed as they enjoy bargaining as much as I do. We sat at the bar which is on stilts over the sea and watched the sunset. It was very beautiful and a very special experience.

I found this to be a very poor country but the people seem very happy and oblivious to how poor they really are. I have never felt such humid heat anywhere ever before. I had a fantastic time in Zanzibar and can’t wait to go back. It is a beautiful country with beautiful places to visit. I was there for only 4 days but I felt very relaxed when I returned home.

I’ll be back!